Woman, Infant Killed In Crash On I-80/94 Following Police Pursuit In Northwest Indiana; Driver In Custody
GARY, Ind. (CBS) -- A woman and an infant were killed and a man was injured in a crash on the Borman Expressway in northwest Indiana, as officers were trying to pull over the driver.
As CBS 2's Jermont Terry reported, investigators with the Indiana State Police had cleared the scene by 5 p.m. But one man's attempt to run from sheriff's deputies proved to be deadly for a woman and infant in the car with him.
The Lake County Indiana Sheriff's office said around 11:30 a.m., their officers tried to pull over the driver of a speeding black Audi A5, who also ran a red light near 25th Avenue and Broadway in Gary.
The driver - identified by authorities as Eric White, 21, of Gary - did not stop, but instead sped up and headed south near Broadway and the Borman Expressway (Interstate 80/94). The driver kept speeding, and officers lost sight of the car, police said.
Eventually, White began swerving in and out of lanes on I-80/94 and ended up slamming into the back of a semi-trailer truck at Colfax Street, police said.
Indiana State Police said after hitting the truck the Audi spun across all the lanes, hit a wall, and then continued back across the lanes in front of the semi that it had already rear-ended. The car was then hit on the passenger side of the front of the semi.
The Audi came to a final rest wedged under the front bumper of the semi.
A 20-year-old Matteson woman, identified as Britini Griffin, who was a passenger in the car was ejected and killed, as was an infant, 1-year-old Ky'Air Lucas, who was strapped into a car seat.
White was taken to the hospital with head injuries. Sheriff's police said he was in illegal possession of a handgun and was arrested by Lake County Sheriff's police for resisting after another pursuit back in November.
Police said White was alert when he was taken to the hospital. He was released to jail afterward.
White is likely to face a slew of charges – including fleeing and possible charges connected to his passengers.
"Any loss of life in such horrifying circumstances is tragic, but the loss of a child is especially disturbing. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives during this incident," Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said in a news release. "Police officers are faced with tragedy daily, but considering the circumstances with this incident, we are offering to help officers cope."
Indiana State Police said all lanes on westbound I-80/94 were blocked for hours following the crash, and traffic was diverted at Burr Street.
The relationship between White and the woman and child was not known late Friday night.